Wet weather has prevented many farmers from making it to the field with the sprayer with a pre-emergence herbicide on their winter cereals, while many growers still have winter cereals to plant.
Grass weed problems can be hard to get under control and applying a herbicide pre-emergence is one method of increasing efficacy on problem weeds like meadow-grass.
However, for those who have planted and have not sprayed their winter cereal crops, post-emergence herbicide application will be used when ground conditions allow.
Many of the options remain the same, but those with problem grass weeds may change from their original option.
One new option available on winter cereal crops this season is an old active ingredient which is used on potatoes – metribuzin. Metribuzin is approximately 40 years old and this year can be used on cereal crops by applying Bacara Triple which contains flufenacet, diflufenican and metribuzin.
Similar to flufenacet, metribuzin acts mostly on the roots, but also has foliar activity and can be used up to GS13.
While best control is usually achieved at the pre-emergence stage or early post-emergence, it is also extremely important to apply herbicides in appropriate conditions, so this can often mean weed control isn’t tackled until post-emergence.
Many of last season’s winter crops received herbicides in the spring time and many of the same options will still be available at this time.
Growers should check with their agronomist, but products containing flufenacet and pendimethalin will be available for use in the spring time, as well as products like Broadway Star which can be used to control sterile brome in winter wheat.
